I jerked away from him and tried to find a place in the circle where I would be safe. But in that fraction of a second, I was suddenly surrounded by Draygonians. Dark ones by the pillars and behind me were the Golden Draygons. Every single Golden Draygon that I had pissed off since I had gotten here was there. A short step away was another Draygon looking just as pleased that I was in this predicament. "Isobel," I breathed as she stepped into view. The smile on her face was nothing short of cruel. "Hello, your Majesty," she sneered mockingly. "What is going on?" I demanded. "We are taking back what is rightfully ours," the giant Draygonian stated ominously. His deep rumbling voice would have been pleasant to listen to, especially with the strange accent so differently from Tohr's. It sort of reminded me of a Scottish accent with a few centuries of differences mixed in with it. He was as large as a Scottish Highlander, that was for sure. "And what exactly do you believe belongs
"With all due respect," I began as I backed away from him. "I think I'll just go back to the castle. Tohr can explain himself to me personally. Or my brother Erik, his Champion can tell me exactly what is going on." The crackle in the air went from causing mere goosebumps to visible electricity. Sólas' eyes shifted from a slight grey to the molten flow of boiling silver, then was slowly taken over by the elongation of his iris'. I knew even before his hands shifted to the claws that he was seconds away from changing. "That, princess, was never an option," he hissed. I clenched my teeth and had to forcefully root myself to the ground before I shied away from him. "I don't believe that I was asking your permission," I growled back. That's when I did something so stupid that even as I did it, I was screaming to myself to not do it. I turned my back to the evil Draygon and began to walk away. A roar echoed through the clearing. In the space of a heartbeat, I was jerked off the ground
My embarrassment seemed to be fun to him. I forcefully shoved it down and looked him in the eyes, not wanting to give into him in any way. "I want to leave," I said to him slowly as if he didn't understand words. "Leave?" he asked with an amused chuckle. "This is your home, Princess. You are with your own people!""You are not my people!" I shouted at him; my nerves fried. Calm down, Mara!!! My brain screamed at me. Remember the flying through the sky thing?"Of course, we are! How do you explain being able to transport through the sacred circles? Only Draygons can survive them. So, you have to be a descendant of the princess." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "How many of these circles are there?" "Every clan has one. It was built by the first of our kind once they understood the magick," one of the girls behind him spoke up. Sólas turned on her and growled. She immediately stepped back in line and bowed her head, whimpering.His behavior towards the other woman reminded me of the wo
He was crazy… homicidal. And I had allowed myself to be alone with him. How could I have been so stupid? However, his rant didn't end there. "Several days ago, that sniveling coward you call a King came to me and asked," he spat the word out as if it turned his stomach, "for a truce between our two clans. Apparently, he found love and wished to mate with her. But he didn't want to raise his family in a world with the constant threat of all-out war." My heart warmed despite my fear. Tohr loved me? I thought giddily. He wanted peace to keep me and any children we may have safe. -Oh, Tohr-. I thought to him, even though I knew he wouldn't hear my thoughts. -Oh, Tohr my sweet Draygon king. I love you, too. I will find a way back to you. -For a moment, I could have sworn that I felt the touch of Tohr's mind brush against mine. But, as quickly as it was there, it was gone. "Yes, princess, he loves you," Sólas spat out in disgust. "I knew the moment I heard it that the time was right to
Even if I somehow managed to survive for a while through this cruel and inhumane torment, there would be nothing left of me worth surviving. A survival instinct immediately took over, and I knew that I couldn't continue to shrink away from the beast that Sólas was.Death was inevitable, and I refused to go down without a fight. Gripping my wound hard and allowing the pain to keep me focused. I forced myself onto my feet, ignoring the wet fabric that stuck to my leg."No, thank you," I responded almost politely. His cocky attitude stalled."No, thank you," Sólas repeated as if he didn't understand the meaning of the individual words themselves."Yes, I refuse to mate with you or bear your spawn," I clarified. "You are refusing me?" he parroted in disbelief. "I'm sorry. Am I not making it clear enough to you?" I asked, giving him a pretentious smile. My attitude was not lost on him, but he seemed shocked that I would dare to be anything other than humbled or terrified in his presenc
Sólas stood straight, showing off my blood that was already drying on his blue-tinged scales. "Good," he purred and strode out the door without a backward glance. I scooted away until my back was against the wall trying to make myself as small and uninteresting as I could. I curled up into a ball and laid my head on my knees, hiding my face. It was a childish move, the whole "if I can't see you then you can't see me," move, but it was where my mindset was at now. I couldn't move, didn't want to move. I knew deep down that if I moved, Sólas was going to come back and attack me once more. Without even realizing it, my body was shivering in tune with the swirling of my mind. -Mara. - Whispered a voice through the storm in my mind.I shoved it aside, knowing that it wasn't possibly Tohr. I had been hoping he would answer me for days now, there was no way he would do so right now. -Mara, open your mind to me, my little fyre. I am here. Open yourself to your mate. - The voice whispered
At that moment, I couldn't tell which was worse. Sólas willingness to use me to keep his people under his horrific thumb or Caylan's willingness to use me as a tool to begin his civil war. "Neither," I admitted resolutely. "I will not be used in such a manner. I don't care what you wish me for. I want to go home. I want to get back to Tohr and to a place where I am not an object to be used for war or death." "She has that right, Caylan. If we hold her here against her then we will be no better than Sólas," Ka'rina told Caylan. "Oh, I have no intention of making her stay here, little one. I am going to take her out front with the king. Tohr will demand retribution for her and when we lose this war. Sólas will be ousted by the royal decree, and we can start anew," Caylan stated. "Fine," I snapped in irritation. "Just take me to Tohr if that is what you wish to do. However, if you're hoping to start a war using my name, I will not help you in any way." "Can you not see that this is w
It was a bit comforting to know the telepathy didn't cross clan boundaries. With everything else that Sólas had done to, the fact that he couldn't read my mind was a great relief."Worry not," Ka'rina whispered to me. "We are taking you to your people." Ka'rina nodded to Caylan, letting him know that she agreed with whatever he was planning. Caylan's eyes shuttered as he looked behind us. I followed his gaze to see the blue warriors had gathered outside the door, taking up most of the landing at the top of the stairs. They were not drawing weapons, but I could tell by the tension around them they were ready to spring at Caylan's command.The warriors on the stairwell and below were all that were loyal to Sólas. They all stood arrogantly naked and proud, waiting for the blood they wished to spill. Everyone that stood behind us were the ones ready to free themselves of Sólas tyranny. They wore leather armor of blue and silver proudly displaying the colors of their tribes."Please tak